
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi (Likud) on Friday morning responded to a letter from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who demanded that Justice Minister Yariv Levin not allow examination of complaints against Justice Yitzhak Amit, who is expected to be appointed to head the Supreme Court.
In her letter, Baharav-Miara slammed the brakes on the investigation, demanding that the Judicial Selection Committee meet on Sunday as scheduled, and not allow further delays.
"The document she sent to Minister Yariv Levin is an attempt to conduct a judicial coup and take over the responsibilities of the elected government," Karhi said. "Instead of examining the complaints in a professional fashion, she is ignoring the law and order and applying improper pressure on the relevant professionals."
"We must not listen to the Attorney General, who has become an obstacle to the proper management of the country. A Supreme Court president who is appointed in a wrongful process, who has conflicts of interest and violations of law, will not be respected by the nation. We will stand strong in the face of the judicial dictatorship they are trying to force on us. This judicial revolution will not pass. Go home."
On Friday morning, Baharav-Miara published her opinion that Levin must call a meeting of the Judicial Selection Committee on Sunday, in accordance with the Supreme Court's decision.
During the meeting, the Committee is expected to choose Supreme Court Justice Yitzhak Amit as the court's President.
Levin has delayed the meeting in order to allow for investigation of allegations of conflicts of interest and failure to report conflicts of interest, as well as other complaints against him. However, the Supreme Court has ordered a halt on the investigations, with Amit claiming that he is being "persecuted."
Baharav-Miara's letter follows Levin's request for more time, which he sent to the Supreme Court and which the Supreme Court rejected. She insists that following this refusal to grant time for proper investigation of Amit, there is no justification for delaying the appointment. Such delays would be "improper political interference" in the judiciary, with the purported goal of preventing a decision regarding who should be appointed as Supreme Court President.
However, Baharav-Miara allowed Levin to present any material on Amit which he believes is relevant to the Committee's decision.